


Scars of the Soul

by SkadiLothbrok



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Fun, Scars, soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26566258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkadiLothbrok/pseuds/SkadiLothbrok
Summary: You knew that your soulmate was no ordinary man but never expected this.
Relationships: Eskel (The Witcher)/Reader, eskel/ reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

Soulmates were a funny thing when you thought about it.

Destiny had decided who you were meant to be with but why?

Was there any reason to it or was it just a random selection.

It also bought up the issue of being responsible about your life decisions.

Something you weren't sure could be said for your soulmate - whoever they were.

Scars littered practically every part of your body, including the most prominent scars which ran down the right side of your face.

Of all the scars, you could think of only two that were actually yours.

A small mark over your left shin from a nasty fall when you were younger.

And the second was a silvery line that ran along your index finger from a knife injury.

You'd love to say that the second was from doing something cool, but you'd simply been careless whilst cutting some vegetables.

As the more noticeable scars had appeared people had begun to regard you differently.

Some would stare, others did their damnedest to avoid looking at you at all and some even said that you must be cursed.

After a while you found yourself on the outside of the village and figured you might as well travel like you'd wanted to for so long.

It was fine for the most part, you saw incredible sights and met all sorts of new people.

Unfortunately, not all of those people were the kind you wanted to meet.

As you'd been heading back into the city of Oxenfurt you were stopped by a group of 3 bandits.

"What we got 'ere then?" the first one leered at you "messed up thing ain't ya".

Ignoring him you attempted to move past the group but they blocked your path.

"You might as well talk to us, no-one else is gonna ploughin' talk to your ugly mug" the man sneered at you.

"Fuck off" you spat as you glared back at him.

"Fiesty" he grinned "we like 'em like that".

"He stepped forward and was about to grab your arm when he stopped and stared at something behind you.

Looking over your shoulder you spotted a man with two swords on his back and cat like eyes... a witcher your mind provided.

"You bothering the lady?" the witcher spoke to the men.

"She ain't no lady" the man mumbled before nudging his friends and slowly backing away.

Once they were a safe distance you turned to fully face the witcher "thank you".

He simply stared at your face looking a little shocked.

You were used to the stares but you expected a witcher of all people would be used to scars.

"I'm gonna...uh go" you moved to turn around until he spoke up.

"Wait, sorry I just..." he moved a little closer to you "your uh, you".

Frowning in confusion you wondered what he was mumbling about.

"I know your soulmate" he spat out seconds later.

It was now your turn to stand in shock and at a loss for words.

-

The two of you had moved your conversation to a nearby tavern so that you could at least get a bit of drink down you.

"Lambert" as he'd introduced himself sat opposite you with a drink in his own hand.

"So how do you know my soulmate?" you asked after another swig of mead.

"We trained together at Kaer Morhen" he replied, carefully watching your expression.

"So he's a witcher too?" you asked.

Seemingly satisfied that there was no disgust or judgement in your tone, Lambert nodded "his name is Eskel".

"Eskel" you tested the name on your lips for the first time.

"Bad news is you got the less attractive of the two of us" Lambert joked and you rewarded him with a chuckle.

"Do you" you stopped and bit your lip nervously "do you know where he is?"

"It's been a few months since I've seen him" Lambert confessed "but he's sure to return to Kaer Morhen for the winter soon".

You considered the fact that you might actually get to meet your soulmate.

"Could I...Could I come and meet him?" you ventured.

"Witchers only I'm afraid" Lambert replied with a serious face and you felt your own fall.

"I'm joking" he laughed soon after "I have a contract to finish up here but then I'm heading back, you can come with me if you'd like".

Your heart jumped once more "are you always this much of a prick?" you rose an eyebrow at him.

"Is that any way to speak to your travel companion" he faked insult at you.

Laughing with him you finished your drink and told him where to find you once he was ready to leave.

-

The journey to Kaer Morhen was not a short or easy one, despite you being quite used to travelling by this point.

You had gotten to know Lambert better along the way and the two of you joked around like children.

It was refreshing to have somebody look past the scars for once and you were sure he completely understood that.

As you made camp for the last time before reaching the keep you began to worry.

"What if he doesn't like me?" you asked as you lay looking up at the stars.

"He will" Lambert replied.

"But what if he doesn't?"

Lambert sighed and rolled his eyes "then he's an idiot".

You continued to think of all the things that might go wrong tomorrow.

"And hey, if he doesn't then you can always have a quick roll in the hay with me" Lambert joked to lighten your mood.

"You're an idiot" you laughed as you threw a twig at him.

"Yeah well, so are you if you think Eskel will have any reason not to like you".

"Oh my gods, are you being nice" you teased.

"Tell anyone and I'll deny it" he answered before turning and laying down on his bed roll for the night.

"Thank you for all of this Lambert" you spoke quietly "I'm glad to call you my friend".

Despite not getting any response you were happy that you had told him.

The next day as you packed up your things ready to set out, butterflies filled your stomach.

Despite Lambert's reassurances last night you still worried what Eskel would be like and what he would think of you.

You continued to overthink it all the way up until you were riding under the gates.

Dismounting your horse and leading him after Lambert to the stables, you took in Kaer Morhen.

It was a little run down but you were still amazed by the enormity of the place.

"This way" Lambert nudged you back into reality and lead you inside.

You nervously tugged at the edges of your cloak as you entered the main hall and heard voices ahead.

"Lambert" an older looking witcher appeared with a smile "we were beginning to think you weren't coming".

"Had a few errands to run" Lambert shrugged before stepping aside to reveal you "and I've bought a friend".

You waved nervously at the witcher who understood immediately why you were here when he saw your face.

"A pleasure to meet you miss" he held his hand out for you to shake "I'm Vesemir".

"Y/n" you shook his hand.

You heard the door open behind you and somehow knew who it was.

Not daring to turn around you felt frozen in place as he came over.

"Eskel" Lambert spoke to him "have I got a surprise for you brother".

"If it's another stupid portrait I'm not interested" you heard his voice for the first time.

"Lambert, why don't you come and greet Geralt and Yennefer" Vesemir gave you a reassuring smile as he practically dragged Lambert away.

Taking a deep breath you finally turned around to face him.

His mouth fell open when he saw you and he stopped a few feet away from you.

"Hi" you managed to squeek out like an idiot as you nervously chewed at your lip.

Chestnut hair framed his face and bright golden eyes stared back at you.

"You're..." he mumbled as he tentatively stepped closer to you.

Your heart was hammering so fast in your chest that you thought you might die right where you stood.

He reached his hand up and ran his fingers feather light over your cheek "I'm sorry".

"Whatever for?" you asked in confusion.

"That you got stuck with me" he mumbled "that I left you with so many scars, that I-"

"Eskel" you stopped him "don't be sorry" you grabbed his hand "I'm not".

He let out a deep breath before giving your hand a light squeeze "you know my name but I don't know yours".

"Y/n" you smiled.

"Y/n" Eskel repeated before a smile crossed his face "well it's nice to meet you Y/n".

\--

Once you had managed to calm your racing heart enough, Eskel had walked you through to the kitchen where he introduced you to Geralt and Yennefer.

The whole time he did so, he held your hand in his as if he thought you might disappear.

Geralt gave you a warm smile and Yennefer studied you closely before seeming to decide you were alright.

As you took a seat to dig into some food you answered questions asked of you.

"How did you end up with this one?" Geralt gestured to Lambert.

"She couldn't resist my rugged charm" Lambert gloated.

You rolled your eyes "however you need to remember it asshole" you grinned at your idiot friend.

"Is that anyway to talk to your best friend" Lambert feigned hurt.

"Pretty sure it's the only way" you answered before throwing some bread crust at him.

"She loves me really" Lambert assured the others.

When you turned to your side you noticed Eskel was watching you intently with a smile.

Shooting him a smile back you blushed a little and turned your attention back to your food.

You weren't sure if it was just the whole soulmate thing or what but you were insanely attracted to the man.

When the food was finished Eskel asked you if you wanted him to show you around and you agreed.

Of all the rooms he'd shown you, you were most astounded by the library.

Unlike many of the people in your small village you had made a point of learning to read.

You loved getting lost in stories of adventures and learning new things.

Upon entering the room, you'd ran your hand along the spines of a few books with a wide smile on your face.

"Do you enjoy books?" Eskel asked.

"I love them" you replied "all the knowledge they hold and adventures they contain".

Eskel strolled over to you and reached to grab a book to the left of you.

"This is one of my favourites" he held it out to you.

Taking the book from his hands you took note of how close you were stood.

You noticed him glance down at your lips briefly and sucked in a well needed breath of air.

He stepped back before anything came of it and you had to hide your disappointment.

"Have you read all of the book in here?" you asked as you recomposed yourself.

Eskel laughed lightly "not all of them, though I'm sure Vesemir has".

"My mother taught me to read before she-" you stopped momentarily before continuing "all of the other children wanted to play but all I wanted was to learn how to read. She'd been taught as a teenager by a bard who'd caught her eye".

"Your father?" Eskel asked.

"No" you laughed "I think it was more of a teenage romance kinda thing. My father was the town merchant. He used to tell me stories of far off places. I think that's why I always wanted to travel".

"And you finally decided to" he smiled.

"Yeah" you nodded "the townspeople didn't really want me around anymore so I figured why not?"

You noticed his face had fallen slightly "because of me I'm guessing" he gestured to his face "and these".

Making your way back over to him you took his hand in yours "they were superstitious fools, that's all Eskel" you grinned at him "besides, I find you rather pleasant to look at".

He scoffed at your statement despite the smile that it put back on his face "c'mon, you should meet Lil' Bleater".

"Lil' what?" you giggled as you followed him out of the library.


	2. Incredible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fluffly and fun scenario that popped into my head.

Lil' Bleater had decided that she wasn't so keen on you being around Eskel.

He assured you that she just needed to warm up to you, but you were convinced she wanted him to herself.

"Where's Eskel?" Lambert asked as he strolled into the library.

"With the goat" you laughed "she doesn't like sharing".

"You're fighting over Eskel with a goat?" Lambert asked incredulously.

"Tell me about it" you laughed "I'm not sure I'd come out on top either".

"Need me to take care of it?" he cracked his knuckles in show.

You shook your head at him "you're not gonna kill Eskel's goat".

"What?" Eskel walked in at that moment "you want to kill Lil' Bleater?" the look on his face was somewhat threatening.

"I'm doing it for Y/n" Lambert replied with a smirk "and for my own nostrils, you stink of goat".

Eskel moved to grab Lambert but you stood and blocked his path "woah there tough guy, I promise not to let Lambert kill your goat".

"You couldn't stop me" Lambert wasn't helping the situation.

"Oh yeah" you turned to him with a smirk "I'm a pretty mean shot with a bow".

"Yeah right" Lambert scoffed "I'm calling bull on that one".

"Wanna bet?" you rose an eyebrow in challenge.

"Yeah, I've never been one to pass on a sure bet" he held your gaze.

"What do I get if I win?" you asked.

Eskel leaned forward and whispered something into your ear with a grin.

"In fact, if I win, you wear a dress for a whole day" you laughed.

"A dre-fine, what if you lose?" he grinned "in fact I'll choose, If you lose, you do all of my chores for a week".

"Sure" you shrugged and held our your hand "it's a deal".

\---

As you stood facing the target with a bow in hand, Geralt and Yennefer joined your audience.

"3 arrows, in the centre, or you lose" Lambert stood with his arms crossed and a cocky look on his face.

Shooting him one last smirk, you notched your first arrow and took aim at the target.

Releasing the arrow, it flew straight and planted itself directly in the centre of the target.

Lambert scoffed "lucky shot".

Notching the second arrow you focused, took aim, and released.

It landed a few centimeters from the first, in the centre of the target.

"So what colour dress will you be wearing Lambert?" Eskel laughed at his brother.

"Shut up" Lambert snapped as he watched you carefully.

Notching the final arrow, you took aim, pulled back the bow and turned to look at Lambert with a smirk as you released.

Geralt whistled in appreciation of your skill as Lambert's face fell.

"You've gotta be kidding me" Lambert looked shocked "since when can you shoot like that?"

"Had some spare time on the road" you shrugged "taught myself".

"Are you sure you didn't help her" he turned an accusatory stare to Yennefer.

"It's nothing to do with me" she laughed.

Lambert mumbled something under his breath before turning and walking away.

Geralt and Yennefer spoke with you briefly before they too left.

"That really was quite impressive" Eskel strolled over to you with a smile.

You shrugged off the compliment "there's plenty of people who can shoot an arrow".

"Not like that there isn't" he assured you "you must be a natural".

"What can I say" you joked "I try".

Eskel laughed as he closed the distance further between you "you really are amazing, you know that".

You blushed slightly and looked to your feet.

He grabbed your chin gently and pulled your eyes back up to meet his.

Staring into those golden pools was always distracting for you, so when he kissed you, it took you moment to respond.

As soon as you did though, you both moved with a desperate need.

"You're incredible" Eskel whispered against your lips as you stopped for air.

"You're pretty amazing yourself" you replied with a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> Not decided yet whether to continue this or not.


End file.
